This invention relates to a self-regulating electrically heated stove for use in an internal combustion engine and more particularly for a PTC stove for use in the fuel entry system of a gasoline engine.
When starting a cold gasoline engine, a closed-choke gasoline-rich mixture with air is needed for operation because only a small amount of the gasoline is vaporized and therefore readily combustible at this temperature. This condition causes large amounts of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons to be produced which wastes fuel and causes pollution of the atmosphere.
It is an object of this invention to provide means to raise the temperature of the gasoline within the fuel entry system of a gasoline engine which minimizes the time for operating of the engine with a gasoline-rich fuel charge. Another object of the invention is to provide a heater in which the heater is shielded from the gasoline. Still another object of this invention is to provide a heater within the fuel entry system of a gasoline engine which is self-regulating such that the power requirement of the heater is more or less terminated as the engine heats up.
Briefly the self-regulating PTC heater stove of this invention comprises a container with one or more PTC pills as heaters and anchored therein. The pills are electrically connected by wire leads to the battery through the starter system. The container is positioned so that gasoline coming from the carburetor will come into contact with the heater and be heated thus causing the gasoline to evaporate. A top plate of the stove with a high thermal conductivity is in direct heat-transfer relation with the pills.
The heater in the fuel entry system of a gasoline engine will cause more of the gasoline to evaporate and thereby make cold engine operation much more efficient and pollution free. As the engine heats up so that the gasoline naturally evaporates for efficient running of the engine, the anormal temperature of the PTC pills is reached thus causing the resistance of the pills to greatly increase thereby nearly terminating the power requirement of the stove.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when reading the following description in connection with the drawings which show a somewhat preferred embodiment of the invention with some modifications.